


Normal is a Long Way Off

by orphan_account



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: F/F, Izzy needs to stop being in denial, coffee isn't enough to keep Izzy awake, they so tired
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-25
Updated: 2016-04-25
Packaged: 2018-06-04 11:16:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,285
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6655759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Coffee?” Izzy asked, already knowing what the other girl’s answer would be.</p><p>Clary sent her a mock irritated look, angling her head in a way that emphasized her adorably dark-circled eyes. “Like you even have to ask?”<br/>------------</p><p>Or the one in which Izzy worries about Jace and tiredly realizes that she might have a crush on Clary.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Normal is a Long Way Off

Sweet hazelnut steam rose from the mug of coffee that Isabelle clutched close to her chest, its scent diffusing across the kitchen. Unfortunately, Isabelle doubted that the coffee would do much to help her. The entire Institute had been working frantically over the past two days to track Jace, but it was as if he’d vanished. Even when Alec tried to find him through their parabatai rune there’d been no sign of him.

She shook the thoughts from her mind, closing her eyes to try to shut them out. The cool wood of the cabinets pressed against her side as she leaned against them. Her family was running itself ragged trying to track Jace down, but there’d been no progress in finding where he’d been taken. She’d watched him go. She’d been there, a seraph blade pressed to her throat, unable to do anything to stop Jace from leaving, unable to keep her brother safe.

The memory of what had happened caused Isabelle to clench her coffee mug until her knuckles turned white, and she flexed her fingers to keep herself from accidentally breaking it into pieces. Izzy sighed and turned her eyes towards the ceiling. She’d need to remain level-headed for the rest of her family, since none of them were particularly up to it at the moment. Alec was Jace’s parabatai and his brother, making him only slightly less than a complete nervous wreck about this situation than their parents. At least he wasn’t breaking down in front of the rest of the Institute. Maryse and Robert had been frantically pushing everyone for any clue about the whereabouts of their adopted son, only recently taking a rest because of Isabelle and Alec’s insistence. If they hadn’t, Isabelle was sure that her parents would have run everyone up the walls with their frenzied worrying. While the rest of her family was trying to find a way to cope, it was left to Isabelle to be the responsible Lightwood for the Institute. Not that responsibility was something new to her, but the rest of her family having to acknowledge her authority was.

She raised her coffee cup to her lips and let the deep, warm flavor of the drink seep across her tongue. While it did nothing to ease her fatigue, the pleasant heat of her coffee did make her feel a little more like a person and a little less like tiredness incarnate. She was almost feeling herself (if she ignored her current situation) when the kitchen door swung open, interrupting her restful solitude.

She warranted a glance over her shoulder at the intruder, meeting Clary’s eyes. She looked almost as exhausted as Isabelle was, but she greeted Izzy with a smile anyways. Isabelle hadn’t seen much of her recently between the search for Jace and Clary doing her best to help Jocelyn adjust.

“Coffee?” Izzy asked, already knowing what the other girl’s answer would be.

Clary sent her a mock irritated look, angling her head in a way that emphasized her adorably dark-circled eyes. “Like you even have to ask?”

Izzy couldn’t help the half-laugh that escaped her lips as she placed her mug on the counter and grabbed the coffee pot. When she turned back around, Clary was stretching up to get a mug of her own, her thin t-shirt riding up to expose the creamy skin of her back. The sight of it made Izzy’s mouth go dry, and she quickly glanced away before she could do something stupid in her sleep-deprived state.

“Well, I don’t know about you but the past two days have been torture for me.” Clary joked conversationally, her cup clinking against the counter as she reached for the coffee pot in Isabelle’s hands. Izzy mutely handed Clary the creamer, which she refused.

“Not today,” She explained. “I don’t need it, just an IV of caffeine into my bloodstream.” She took a swallow of her black coffee without hesitation.

“There’s no way I’d ever be able to do that.” Isabelle said, taking another sip of her deliciously, and perhaps overzealously, sugared coffee.

“All-nighters may be uncommon to you guys, but not to me. Simon and I have a wonderful tradition of staying up too late and then drinking the blackest, bitterest coffee imaginable while regretting our choices the next morning.” Clary’s nose wrinkled pensively. “Or, at least we used to. I’m not sure if coffee works on vampires.”

“I’m not sure if coffee works on me either at this point.” Izzy said, only half-joking.

Clary snorted, but Izzy could feel the way her eyes flickered over her, making her feel unusually self-conscious. Normally she wouldn’t mind Clary looking at her like that, ~~actually it was kind of nice,~~ but Izzy was well aware of the fact that she looked like a trainwreck with an hourglass figure: nothing to be ashamed of, but not exactly the circumstances under which she enjoyed being checked out.

“When was the last time you slept?” Clary asked softly. Isabelle had a lie prepared on the tip of her tongue, but then Clary turned her golden doe eyes on her. It was like the logical side of her brain forgot how to function.

Izzy bit her lip and broke eye contact with Clary. “I don’t really know. The day before yesterday, I think.”

Clary set her cup down. “You need sleep.”

“And I’ll get it, just as soon as things start running normally around here.”

“Jace was basically just kidnapped by a genocidal cult-leading war criminal. I think normal is a long way off. I can watch the search while you get some rest.” Clary offered, her tone too sweetly concerned for Isabelle to want to say no, but she protested anyways.

“I can’t let you do that. He’s my brother-”

“And he’s mine too.”  Clary interrupted. “But right now there’s nothing we can do for him.” Clary paused for a second, then nearly begged. “Just please go to bed.”  

The gears in Izzy’s head turned half-heartedly, looking for any excuse to stay up. She sighed in defeat when she couldn’t come up with anything and put her mug down. “Okay, okay you win. Just make sure Lydia keeps the remaining envoy members from the wedding occupied and you should be good.” She looked sharply into Clary’s eyes. “And if anything happens, promise you’ll wake me up.”

“I promise, really,” Clary said, grabbing Izzy’s hand in a way that felt far too natural. It was almost impossible to act as if Clary’s touch didn’t send warmth up her arm. The way their eyes met felt warmer now, more personal, and she couldn’t help the way her eyes were drawn to Clay’s mouth when she bit her lower lip. “Just please don’t wear yourself out. Everything is happening so fast, and it feels like you’re one of the few people here who actually cares about me. And I care about you.” Clary pulled away, and Izzy internally mourned the loss of contact. “I’ll go talk to Lydia. Now go sleep. Please.”

Clary turned and left the kitchen, leaving her mug of coffee behind. Izzy stared at it for a second, almost too tired to think, before almost laughing at her situation. It was way too late to be thinking about her crush on her adopted brother’s sister and ex-girlfriend. She rubbed a hand tiredly against her temple before depositing her half full cup of coffee in the sink. If that was what she was worrying about, then she obviously needed sleep. She was Isabelle Lightwood, shadowhunter extraordinaire. Relationships should’ve been the last thing on her mind.

But to say that her well-needed sleep hadn’t been filled with dreams of Clary would be a lie.

**Author's Note:**

> Dedicated to Anjana, who is somehow always capable of putting up with my shit. She's the real MVP.
> 
> Also kudos and comments are my lifeblood. Please leave some if you liked this.


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